Combined wood and corrugated paper board structures



Jan. 24, 1961 E H. WALDORF COMBINED WOOD AND CORRUGATED- PAPER BOARDSTRUCTURES Filed Sept. 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. bMU/YD H M4400 1 V II rmy/vars Jan. 24, 1961 E. H. WALDORF 2,959,170

COMBINED woon AND CORRUGATED PAPER BOARD STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 4, 19574 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Emu/v0 A! MLDO/PF Jan. 24, 1961 E H. WALDORFCOMBINED WOOD AND CORRUGATED PAPER BOARD STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 4, 19574 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR. [mu/r0 b- Adam/- I AWO WS Jan.24, 1961 E. H. WALDORF 2,969,170

COMBINED WOOD AND CORRUGATED PAPER BOARD STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 4, 19574 Sheets$heet 4 I I I ENTOR. @MU/YO MW? United States Patent COPJBINEDWGGD AND-CORRUGATED PAPER BOARD STRUCTURES Edmund H. Waldorf,Farmingdale, N.Y., assignor to Tri- Wall Containers, Inc, New York,N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 631,991

Claims. c1. 229-23 The present invention relates generally to housingand shipping structures formed by walls of corrugated paper board towhich are attached Wood blocks or other solid members. Moreparticularly, the invention deals with fastening elements or cleatsadapted to secure wood pieces .0 triple-Wall corrugated paper board soas to provide floating supports within a box and for many otherpurposes.

Cartons and boxes formed of corrugated paper board are widely employedfor housing and shipping a variety of articles. Corrugated board ofconventional design may be of the single face, double face or doublewall type. Single face refers to a combination of one liner with a sheetof corrugating media or fluting, the liner preventing the arches fromflattening out, while in double face the fluting is sandwiched betweentwo liners. In double wall, three liners are provided separated by twosheets of fiuting material. Double face and double wall boards are usedin the manufacture of containers whereas the use of single face isrestricted to Wrapping and cushioning.

Double face and double wall containers are of limited structuralstrength. In recent years, increased use has been made of three-plycorrugated containers for the purpose of packaging relatively heavyobjects or for protecting frail objects in transit. These containers arecon structed of triple Wall corrugated paper board manufactured inaccordance with US. Patent No. 2,759,529, issued August 21, 195 6, toGoldstein et al., and identified by the trademark Tri-Wall.

Because of the superior structural and cushioning properties of Tri-Wallcontainers, they have in many instances replaced boxes made of plywood,lumber and other packaging materials. Tests have shown that even if aloaded box of triple wall corrugated construction is dropped, it doesnot shatter like wood but continues to give full protection to itscontents.

An admitted limitation of any type of corrugated board is its inabilityto be nailed or bolted Without having the fastening means quickly shearthrough the corrugated wall when stressed. Plies of corrugated boardoifer poor nail-holding strength and moreover permit easy tearing whenfastenings are subjected to lateral stresses. It has heretofore not beenpossible to block or cradle an article within a corrugated box, as couldbe done with wooden boxes.

Thus when packaging an article whose dimensions do not conform exactlyto that of the corrugated box, in order to prevent displacement of thearticle in transit it has been the practice to place inserts ofcorrugated material or force stufling into the box. so as to occupy allthe free space therein, and thereby immobilize the article. However, theuse of unattached. inserts and stuifings adds materially to the cost ofpackaging and does not always effectively float or cradle the articlewithin the corrugated container.

In viewof the foregoing, it is the principal object of the inventiontoprovide combined corrugated paper board and wood structures andfastenings therefor having a broad range of packaging and shippingapplications.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cleatwhich may be anchored onto a corrugated board and nailed or bolted to awooden member, where by the wooden member is held firmly to the board.

Among the many important packaging and shipping applications for theinvention are the following:

A. Wooden blocking may be internally secured by cleats to the sides oftriple-wall corrugated containers to provide braces, hold-downs, cradlesand floating mounts.

B. Expendable and economical pallets may be formed by nailing sheets oftriple-wall corrugated board to wooden skids.

C. Skidded contents may be secured within a corrugated container bybolting or nailing right through the triple-wall corrugated containerbottom into the wood skid.

D. Wooden end pieces may be nailed to long wraparound triple-wallcorrugated containers for packaging items With excessive end thrust,such as rod and bar stock.

E. Equipment already possessing mounting holes may be immobilized bybolting directly through these holes to cleats embedded on the undersideof the triple-wall container.

F. The cleats may be used as anchor plates to secure steel strappingends to half-slotted containers mounted on lengthwise wooden skids whenit is not practical to continue the strapping across the bottom.

Briefly stated in multiple ply corrugated board structures in accordancewith the invention, a cleat is provided in the form of a plate having aplurality of prongs projecting at right angles thereto, the prongs beingembedded in the board and having a length such as to penetrate at leasttwo plies thereof, thereby firmly anchoring the plate. The plate isprovided with holes to receive nails for fastening a Wood piece to thecorrugated board or to receive bolts for securing equipment havingmounting holes to the board.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objectsand features thereof, reference is made to the following detaileddescription to he read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,wherein like components in the several views are identified by likereference numerals.

, In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cleat in accordance with theinvention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a wooden block attached to a corrugated paper boardby means of the cleat.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of a corrugated paper hoard carton containing anarticle blocked in by wooden blocks in a manner in accordance with theinvention.

Fig. 5 shows a container provided with a floating support for an articleWhose dimensions do not conform. to that of the corrugated boardcontainer.

Fig. 6 is a view of the container in Fig. 5 after it is strapped. I

Fig. 7 illustrates an elongated corrugated board container having endpieces nailed thereto.

Fig. 8 shows a wrap-around box incorporating end pieces nailed in bycleats.

Fig. 9 is a view of the box shown in Fig. 8 after it is strapped.

Fig. 10 illustrates a single-service palletin accordance with theinvention.

Fig. 11 shows a skidded-container which is strapped in accordance withthe invention.

Fig. 12 shows an arrangement for anchoring an article within acorrugated board container.

Fig. 13 shows means to bolt an article within a corrugated boardcontainer. 1 A I. 5 A

Fig. 14 shows further means received to package an article within acorrugated board box.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3,there is shown a multi-ply board of corrugated paper, fastened by nailsto a Wooden block 11 by means of an anchoring clip or cleat 12.. Board10, as best seen in Fig. 3 is preferably of the triple-wall typedescribed in Patent No. 2,759,523 and comprises three corrugated flutingsheets 10a, lllb'and 10c interposed between four spaced liner sheets10d, 10e, 10 and 10g, the several sheets being intimately and securelybonded together. Triple-wall corrugated board is rigid, strong andnon-yielding, comparing favorably instreng'th with wood as a packagingmaterial.

, CleatlZ is constituted by a rectangular plate whose four pointedcorners are each bent at right angles to the plane of the plate to formtriangular teeth or prongs 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. Also provided in theplate is a central hole 12:: of relatively large diameter foraccommodating a bolt, and a pair of smaller holes 12 and 12g on eitherside of the central hole for receiving nails. Cleat 12 may be made ofsheet metal which is stamped or cut and bent to form the desired prongs.

To join the Wooden block 11 to the corrugated board 10, the cleat 12 ispressed into the board, the prongs 10a to 10d biting into the board andpiercing all but the innermost liner. The length of the prongs must besuch as to span at least two of the plies. Nails 13 and 14 are hammeredthrough holes 12 and 12g in the cleat to penetrate the end of the block11, thereby fastening the block securely to the board. 7

The holding power of this arrangement is far greater than that obtainedby nails alone. In an extensive series of tests on the holding abilityof the cleats, it was found that the use of cleats in conjunction withnails usually doubled the holdingpower obtained with nails alone, thetests encompassing a variety of uses and different types of containerconstruction. In many of the compression tests, nails secured by cleatswere anchored so firmly that the ends of the wooden blocking splitwithout tearing the triple-wall corrugated board of the container.

It is important to note that the length of the prongs is such as to bealmost equal to the thickness of the corrugated board. Thissignificantly contributes to the strength of the wood-to-co-rrugatedboard bond, for in the event a deflecting force is applied to the blockrelative to the board, the points on the prongs engage the end of theblock to prevent deflectionJ Inasmuch as prong points are positioned atthe four corners of the cleat, lateral tearing is eflectivelyopposed inall directions. Moreover, since the prongs span at least two plies ofthe board any force tending to cause angular movement to the cleatrelative to the board is strongly resisted.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown a carton 15 wholly constructedof triple-wall corrugated board and intended to package an article 16whose dimensions are such that the article does not fully occupy thecarton. To prevent displacement of the article, it has heretofore beenthe practice to introduce inserts in the carton to fill the spacetherein between the top of the carton and the article. it is nowpossible to block the article in by means of wooden. blocks 17 and 18which are attached at either end to the sides of the carton by cleats 19and 20 in the manner described above. These blocks not only hold downthe article and prevent displacement thereof but also to a degree serveto brace the carton. I

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, it is also possible by means of the inventionto provide float supports within a corrugated board container. Suchsupports are desirable In accordance with the present invention,

where the bulk and geometry of the article being packaged are such as torequire a symmetrical suspension within the box. The float support'isconstituted by a rectangular Wooden frame 21 secured by nails to theinternal sides of the carton by means of cleats 22. The articlesupported is in the form of a heavy motor differential 23 which isbolted to the frame and thereby maintained in an upright position withinthe box without the use of inserts or other expedients. As shown in Fig.6, the completed package is encircled by metal strapping or bands 24 inthe usual manner.

Where it is necessary to package such items as rod and bar stock inelongated corrugated board containers as, for example, the container 25shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary to provide end pieces 26 of wood. Thereason for this is that the rods or bars give rise to an end thrustwhich in the absence of end reenforcement will rupture the container.With the invention it becomes possible to nail the wood end pieces 26 tothe sides of the container by means of cleats 27, such that the endpieces securely enclose both ends of the box.

The elongated box is of the wrap-around type formed by a single sheet oftri-wall material which is so scored as to define five panelsconstituting the side walls of the container. After the end pieces arenailed into place, the package is strapped in the usual manner. It willbe noted that one wall of the box is formed by overlapping panels orflaps of corrugated board.

In a container of the type shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the wall material maynot be of sufficient strength to prevent flexure of the elongated box,hence it becomes necessary to rigidity the structure. This isaccomplished as shown in Fig. 8 by attaching a wooden plank 28 to onepanel or flap of the wrap-around container by means of cleats 29. Thecleats are nailed to the plank with their teeth projecting therefrom andthe plank is then pressed against the side wall of the box so that theteeth enter therein, thereby anchoring the plank. The plank may beshorter than the length of the box, the cleats serving to preventlengthwise slippage. The resultant structure is highly rigid and capableof supporting heavy loads of flexible metal tubing and the like. In thecompleted package, as shown in Fig. 9, metal bands 30 encircle the boxto tie in the reinforced flap.

As shown in Fig. 10, expendible or single service pallets may be formedby nailing a large rectangular sheet 31 of tri-wall corrugated board tospaced skid members 32 by means of cleats 33. A pallet of thisconstruction may be quickly put together and it is far more economicalto manufacture than its equivalent all-wood structure.

It is sometimes not practical to encircle a metal strap about acontainer, particularly where the container is supported on a skid 35 inthe manner shown in Fig. 11. Withcleats 36 in accordance with theinventiom it becomes possible to nail the ends of the straps 37 onto theskids rather than to continue the strapping across the bottom in theusual manner. The end of the strap is placed under the cleat and thenails are driven therethrough into the skid, thus firmly securing thestrap end to the skid. The straps are otherwise tightened and clamped inthe usual manner.

In order to immobilize an article being packaged so that it cannot bedisplaced within a container, cleats 38 may be :bolted or otherwiseattached at various points on the bottom of the article 39, as shown inFig. 12 and the article then placed in the corrugated box 40. The prongson the cleats will bite into the bottom wall of the box and therebyimmobilize the article, without the need for straps, blocks or otherexpedients. Thus, it becomes possible to provide an air space clearancearound the product without the use of spacers or other means.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 13, where the article A 41 includesmounting brackets 42, having a threaded hole the article may beimmobilized within the box by attaching cleats 43 exteriorly to thebottom wall of the box at positions corresponding to the mountingbrackets and then passing bolts 44 through the cleats and the bottomwall to engage the mounting brackets.

Another technique for securing an article 45 of irregular shape within acorrugated board container 46 is shown in Fig. 14, wherein the articleis bolted to the box wall of a U shaped insert 47 formed of Tri-Wallmaterial, by means of cleats 48, the insert then being telescoped withinthe container.

In view of the foregoing, it is evident that the use of cleats inaccordance with the invention in combination with Tri-Wall corrugatedboard greatly enlarges the packaging and shipping possibilities ofcorrugated board and effects major economies both in time and material.While there has been shown preferred embodiments of the invention, itwill be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the essential spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined corrugated-board and wood structure comprising atriple-ply corrugated board, a wood member engaging the inner surface ofsaid board, a cleat fastening said wood member to said board, said cleathaving a plate portion lying against the outer surface of said board anda plurality of prongs integral with said plate portion and projectingtherefrom, said prongs penetrating into said board and being embedded inat least two plies thereof, said plate being provided with holes andfastening elements inserted in said holes connecting said board to saidwood member.

2. A combined corrugated-board and wood structure comprising acorrugated board having three interconnected walls having an inner linerand an outer liner, a wood member engaging the inner liner of saidboard, a metal cleat fastening said wood member to said board, saidcleat having a plate portion lying against the outer liner of said boardand a plurality of prongs integral with said plate portion andprojecting perpendicularly therefrom, said prongs penetrating into saidboard and being embedded in at least two walls thereof, said plate beingprovided with holes having nails inserted in said holes and extendinginto the end of the wood member connecting said board to said woodmember.

3. A combined corrugated-board and wood structure comprising a boxhaving corrugated board sides having three interconnected walls havingan inner liner and an outer liner, a wood piece to block an articlewithin said box, the ends of said wood piece engaging the inner linersof said sides, cleats fastening said wood piece to said sides, saidcleat having a plate portion lying against the outer liner of said sidesand a plurality of prongs integral with said plate portion andprojecting therefrom, said prongs penetrating into said sides and beingembedded in at least two walls thereof, said plate being provided withholes having nails inserted in said holes extending into said wood piececonnecting said sides to said wood piece.

4. A combined corrugated-board and wood structure comprising a boxhaving triple wall corrugated board sides, a wood frame mounted withinsaid box to provide a floating support for an article to be containedtherein, cleats fastening said wood frame to said sides, said cleatshaving a plate portion lying against the outer surface of said board anda plurality of prongs integral with said plate portion and projectingtherefrom, said prongs penetrating into said board and being embedded inat least two walls thereof, said plate being provided with holes havingnails inserted in said holes extending into said wood piece connectingsaid sides to said wood piece.

5. The structure as set forth in claim 4 wherein said cleat isconstituted by a rectangular plate whose four corners are each bent atright angles to the plane of the plate to form four triangular teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,261,130 Jasper Apr. 2, 1918 1,449,468 Walter Mar. 27, 1923 1,956,458Watson Apr. 24, 1934 2,253,428 Henderson Aug. 19, 1941 2,283,814 LaPlace May 19, 1942 2,304,155 Dyball Dec. 8, 1942 2,370,749 Perkins Mar.6, 1945 2,444,183 Cahners June 29, 1948

